Spray gun valve



May 2, 1944. w. M. sPRr-:NG

Y SPRAY GUN VALVE Filed AJuly 15, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet l w. M. sPRENGSPRAY GUN VALVE' Filed July l5. 1940 May 2, 1944.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 q l IIL 34 Q /N Vf rofe L4M/EN MIPRENG 'Patented 'May2, 1944 Warren M. Sprang, Ashland, Ohio, assigner to The F. E. Myers &Bro. Company, Ashland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application `uly 15,1940, Serial No.`345,519

rClaimS. (Cl. 251-134) The present invention relates to a valve forspray guns for distributing solutions over surfaces, and particularlyfor applying insecticides over plants, bushes and trees.

The usual fdTm of spray gun is constituted of a barrel of a varyinglength, depending upon the use to whichthe gun is put, 'the barrelterminating at one end in a nozzle cap and at the other end in some formof a fluid shut-off. 'I'here is onlyone grip provided and that appearsat the shut-o end, but there is no provision for adjusting the amount ofshut-off to accommodate wear. Neither is there any provision foradjusting the mazdmum opening of the valve at the shut-off end, or thetightness with which the valve is clamped on its seat.

The entire weight of the long barrel, assuming that trees are beingsprayed and call for a considerable length of barrel, is carried solelyby the grip at the shut-off and in case spray fluids of considerablepressure and velocity are being handled by the gun, the user of thedevice finds the spraying Work exhaustive.

Again, in case it is desired to change the size of the spray in guns'ofthe unimproved type, it is usually necessary to remove the nozzle forthe purposeof replacing the apertured disc in the nozzle by a dischaving a different sized opening and the work of making this change canbe accomplished only while the spray gun is not in use.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide an improvedspray gun in which two grips are employed, one of the grips beingpositioned at the end of the barrel and constituting an improved triggerstructure and in which the force with which the valve is clamped on itsseat is `controlled whenthe trigger is moved to its shut-oi position.There is also a provision for controlling the maximum valve opening whenthe trigger is moved to the open position. The other grip handle ispositioned intermediate the ends of the barrel where it can be readilyheld by the hand of the user, and there is provided a simple and sturdymechanism at this handle for regulating the character of the sprayejected bythe nozzle end of the barrel. Thus, the spray may becontrolled while the gun is in continuous use and the same device thatregulates the spray also serves as a second grip for supporting thebarrel.

, It has been found in the ordinary form of spray gun, particularly whenusing certain forms of attacked, or clogged, so that it is necessary totake the gun apart to replace or clean these parts. Moreover, many ofthe spray guns on the market are fabricated in as few parts as possible,using welded. joints so that replacement of parts becomes a factory job,thus delaying the spraying operation at a time whenit is needed themost.

Accordingly, a still further object of my invention is to provide animproved gun in which the parts are not only as few and simple aspossible, made of metal which does not lend itself to chemical attackbut the parts may be readily detached from one another so that the usercan instantly take the gun apart for either cleaning or replacev mentpurposes.

Other objects and features will `be apparent as the followingspecification is perused in connection with the accompanying drawings,in

which:

Figure 1 represents a longitudinal cross sectional view of the completegun.

Figures 2 and 3 are enlarged sections taken along lines 2-2, 3-3respectively in Figure 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows, asindicated. l

Figure 4 is a fragmentary side elevational View of the shut-off triggerend of the gun.

Figure 5 is a plan view of the structure shown in Figure 4. l

- Figure 6'is a longitudinal sectional view, some-J what enlarged, ofthe shut-off valve mechanism and trigger for operating the same. Thetrigger is shown in the closed valve position.

Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 6, but showing the trigger in theopen-valve position.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary elevational view of a modified form of thetrigger end of the gun.

' This figure shows the relative positions of the various parts when thevalve is open.

. Figure 9 is a view similar'to Figure 8 but showing the parts in avalve-closed position.

Referring more particularly to Figure 1, the

, improved spray gun is constituted essentially of four main parts,namely, the barrel which is generally designated by the referencecharacter I, the nozzle indicated 2 and positioned at one end of thebarrel, the trigger shut-off 3 at the other end of the barrel, and thespray control mechanism 4 positioned intermediate the ends of thebarrel.

The barrell is made up of as'many lengths of piping as may 'be desiredand, as indicated, there are two lengths, formed by thetubing 5 which isscrewed as at 6 into the tubing of larger diameter indicated at 1.

The nozzle 2 consists of a head casting or screw cap 8 having anhexagonal head indicated at 8, and a bore I' which tapers down to a.smaller opening indicated at, Il. I'here is a. cap which screws over asmall diameter portion of the member 6, this cap serving to clamp a pairof washers to the right hand end of the member A3. One washer is made ofrubber and constitutes a gasket, and the other washer is composed of ahard non-corrosive metal having a very small opening through which fluidissues as a Spray.

The trigger shut-off 3 is constituted of the following elements: Theleft hand end of the pipe 5 is screwed into a casting which is formed ofa cylinder I6, from which extends a hollow handle element I1 having anupstanding projection I8 and a U-shaped cross section, as indicated inFigure 3. The lower end of the handle l1 terminates in a circularportion I9, which has internal threads 20 for accommodating the end of ascrew pipe or hose (not shown) leading to -a source of spray solutionheld under pressure in any suitable and well known manner.

The cylinder I6 is provided with a projection 2l having an opening toreceive a pin 22 (Figures 6 and '1) whichserves as a pintle or pivot fora bifurcated trigger` handle 23, the furcations of which span the endsof the projection 2| (Figure 2), so that the pin 22 permitsthe handle 23to move toward and away from .the handle l1. The cylinder I6 is providedwith a downwardly extending lug 24, which serves as a stop( for thetrigger handle 23, as can be seen in Figures 1 and 6.

The lower surface of the handle l1 and the upper surface of the vtriggerhandle 23 are preferably so shaped that when the composite handle isgripped the two handle elements may be readily accommodated within thehand.

Surrounding the upper part of the cylinder I6 is a hollow shield 25 ofsemi-circular configuration, the right hand end of the shieldterminating at each side of the shield in a square boss extension 26(Figures 4 and 5) which are slotted, as indicated at 21, to receive pins28,

1 which are integrally secured to the trigger handle 23. Consequently,by lmoving the trigger 23 in the direction of the handle I1 the pin 28is caused to move to the left, moving the shield 25 in the samedirection. The latter, at the left hand end, terminates in a cylindricalextension 29 which is provided with diametrically positioned slots 30which receive pins 3|, the latter being integrally secured to acylindrical housing 32, which has an opening for carrying a rod 33threaded at each end. A nut 34 is screwed t0 one end of the rod, and thepurpose of this nut will be explained hereinafter. A screw 35 passesthrough the housing 32 to maintain a rigid p0- sition between thehousing 32 and the rod 33.

Within the shield 25 and the housing 132 there is a sleeve having anhexagonal portion 316 which terminates at one end in a closedcylindrical portion 31 having an opening -through which the rod 33extends. The opposite end of the sleeve is provided with a screw portion38 and a portion of smaller diameter 39 (Figures 6 and 7). The portion.39 is closed by a slidably tted plug 40 through which the rod 33 looselyextends. The opposite end of the sleeve 36 contains a washer 4l andpacking material 42, and between the sion spring 43 loosely mountedabout the rod 33. It will be noted that the Spring 43 bears against thepacking 42 and thus annoying leakage is automatically prevented and itis never necessary for the operator to tighten up packing glands whichis the usual practice with spray guns of the prior art. Next to the plug46 on the right (Figures 6 and 7) there is a rubber washer 44 and ametal washer 45 made of noncorrodible material which serves as a valvediaphragm for opening and closing the passageway into the gun.

'I'he diaphragm 45 is adapted to be seated against the left hand side ofa turned sleeve 46 which is securely pressed into place within a taperedbore of the cylinder I6. The diaphragm is held in position .on the rod33 by an internally threaded cap member 41 having a slot 48 to receivethe end of a screw driver during assembly of the valve mechanism. Fromthe foregoing, it is evident that by moving the trigger 23 to the left,as indicated in Figure 7, the shield 25 moves in the same direction dueto the action of the pins 28 in the slots 21 causing the housing 32 tomove also to the left and to exert a push in the left hand direction onthe nut 34.

The rod 33 is therefore moved to the left carrying with it the cap screw41 and the diaphragm 45 and causing the plug 40 to move to the leftrelative to the sleeve 36. Thus the spring 43 is compressed and theaction of the trigger 23 is to move the diaphragm 45 from its seatagainst the compressing action of the spring. It is apparent that bytightening up the nut 34, the distance between the left hand end of thesleeve 36 and the diaphragm 45 is foreshortened so that for a given lefthand travel of the trigger 23 the diaphragm is moved farther from itsseat.

Viewing it from another aspect, the tightening of the nut 34 serves tomove the trigger 23.coun ter-clockwise due to the increased tension ofthe spring-43, so that when the trigger is moved from its extended righthand position to its left hand position, i. e. abutting the undersurface of the handle l1, a greater movement is given to the diaphragm45 causing the latter to move farther from its s'eat. Thus, the nut 34controls the maximum opening of the valve.

In accordance with another feature of my invention, there is provided anadditional control of the valve in that the force to be applied by thetrigger in breaking the diaphragm from its seat, and therefore theamount of pressure necessary to start opening the valve can be adjustedby regulating the relative longitudinal position of the sleeve, 36 andthe cylinder I6.

When the hexagonal head 36 is tightened, the cylinder 31 is caused tomove to the right with respect to the cylinder I6, producing furthercompression of the spring 43. This causes the diaphragm 45 to be pressedmore tightly against its seat, thereby causing greater effort at thetrigger 23 for moving the valve from its seat. Thus, I have provided twocontrol features at the trigger end of the gun in that the nut 34 servesto regulate the maximum opening of the valve after it has been movedfrom its seat by the trigger 23 and the hexagonal nut on the sleeve 36serves to regulate the force to'be applied at the trigger 23 forbreaking theA seal between the diaphragm' and its seat. Both of thesefeatures are readily accessible to the user of the gun since the nut 34is entirely external of the parts, while the hexagonal portion of thesleeve 36 is accessible washer 4I and the plug 40 there is a. compres-75 from the under side of the shield 25, which as aanwas has beenpointed out herclnbefore is of a hollow Operation of the shut-olf valveAssuming that a spray solution under pressure is forced through thehandle assembly Il of the gun from a spray pump (not shown), the handlel1 and the trigger 23 are grasped in one hand and compression is appliedto move the trigger away from the stop 24 and to the left. Under thesecircumstances and assuming that the proper longitudinal adjustment ofthe sleeve 36 has been made, the diaphragm 45 will be moved to the leftaway trom its seat permitting the solution to pass between the diaphragmand the sleeve 45 into the pipe 5.

It will be noted that as soon as the iiuid reaches the right hand sideof the diaphragm, the total pressure exerted at'the right hand sidebecomes greater than the total pressure exerted at the left hand side ofthe diaphragm due to the difference in the exposed areas. Consequently,as the valve is further opened by moving the trigger 23 continually tothe left, the pressure of the uid actually assists in opening the valveuntil the` latter reaches its maximum position, as determined by theadjustments obtained through the nut 36. Thus, the only time thatconsiderable pressure must be exerted on the trigger 23 is when thediaphragm is breaking the seal-after that, the pressure of the fluid notonly serves to open the valve still further, thus'calling for-lesspressure at the trigger, but also maintains the valve in its fullyopened position.

The spray gun can therefore be used for long periods of time withoutfatigue since little or no eiort is required to hold the trigger againstthe handle l1 by compressing the grip.

It is apparent that the relative positions ofthe sleeve 36 and thecylinder' I6 are so regulated that the valve closing effort of thespring 43 is only slightly in excess of the valve opening effortmaintained by the pressure of the iluid so that this preponderation ofeifort is available to close the valve when the trigger 23 is released.

In the modied form of shut-01T Valve shown in Figures 8 and 9, thearrangement is such that as the handle l'l and trigger 23 are compressedin the hand, the trigger is forced toward the handle causing the spring10 to be compressed. The spring forces the tail end 69 of the latchoutwardly, and when the handle Il is gripped with a strong enough forcethe surface 1| of the latch will contact the inside surface of the lug-24. This action will hold the trigger in its compressed position nearthe handle so that the gripping force can be released. Thus, the valveis maintained in an open condition after thev trigger 23 has been oncebrought into contact with the handle l1 and then locked in this positionby the latch 69. In order to release the trigger as describedhereinbefore, it is only necessary to press the tail end 69 of the latchinto its slot against the action of the spring l and thiswill cause thesurface 'H to become disen-A gagedfrom the lug 24.

Spray volume controlling mechanism at the nozzle end of gun p Within thehead casting 8 and also extending within the pipe 1, there s awhirlermechanism 52. The cylinder 5i! is provided with a plurality ofangular slots which conveniently may be sawed into the wall of thecylinder.

The threaded end 52 of the member 50 is received in the right hand endof a vane-shaped member, the vanes of which there may be four, asindicated at 54, extending throughout most of the length. of the member.The distance across each pair of oppositely. disposed vanes is onlyslightly less than the internal, diameter of the barrel 1, so that thevanes serve to center the cylinder 50 with respect to the bore i0. Theleft hand end of this member terminates in a flat portion indicated at55, which is provided witira transversely extending slot. This slotreceives a pin 5lv extending upwardly, and integrally secured to a platewhich forms apart of a cylindrical stem.

The plate rests on the upper surface of Aa hollow cylindrical member 60,which is closed at the lower end except for an opening through which thecylindrical stem extends. The cylinder 50 is provided with an outwardlyextending v6l serving to secure the handle 66 to the stem.

The handle is hollow, and the lower end is left open in order to drainoff small amounts of fluid which might leak through' the packing. Itwill be noted that the spring 64 bears downwardly against the packing,thus tending to maintain the packing in a tight condition and preventingany substantial amounts of iluid from passing through the handle.

In the normal operation of the spray gun the user will grip the handle66 with his left hand and the combined trigger 23 and handle I1 with hisright hand, directing the barrel at the position which it is desired tocover with the spray solution. The handlev in the left hand can beturned to give the exacttype of spray that is desired. It will beunderstood that the mist form of spray is desirable when the gun isplaced close to the plant or tree being sprayed and wide coverage isdesired, whereas the coarse or straight form of stream is desired whenlong throw is necessary, as when spraying the tops of trees.

In order to reduce the weight of the spray gun as much es possible, andto eliminate-corrosion, it is desirable to make most of the parts ofaluminum, by casting. f Those parts which are sub-- jecte'd to thegreatest wear, for example, the parts immediately surrounding the valve45 and the spray adjusting mechanism are made of a harder metal, such asbrass or bronze. It will be further evident that there are no Weldedjoints within the gun and such few joints as are necessary are all ofthe screw type permitting a ready dis-assembly of the various parts forreplacement and cleaning.

The combination of the pistol grip handle `Il and the position of theadjusting handle 66 afiords a natural and easy position for the operatorto hold the gun, at the same time giving the operator a firm grip on the,gun against the recoil resulting from the discharge of the liquid athigh pressures.

While I have` explained the improved spray it will be'understood thatthe gun may be used for spraying other liquids on other surfaces, suchas spraying cold water, paint, or distributing of etching acids overmetal surfaces. A

It will be4 understood that Idesire to comprehend within -my inventionsuch modifications as may come within the claims and scope of myinvention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A hand-operated valve mechanism for controlling liquid passingthrough the barrel of a spray gun,'said mechanism comprising a shieldpartially surrounding the barrel and adapted to move with respectthereto, a hollow handle secured to said barrel, said shield lhavingsides which lie adjacent to said handle, said handle providing apassageway which communicates with the interior of said barrel, saidpassageway being normally closed by a valve, a trigger mounted on saidbarrel and adapted to move said shield longitudinally of the barrel whena gripping force is applied to the trigger, said shield being connectedto said valve in order to open the passageway through the valve when thetrigger is operated.

2. A hand-operated valve mechanism for controlling liquid passingthrough the barrel of a spray gun, said mechanism comprising a shieldpartially surrounding the barrel and adapted to move with respectthereto, a hollow handle secured to said barrel, said shield havingsides which lie adjacent to said handle, said handle providing apassageway which communicates with the interior of said barrel, saidpassageway being normally closed by a valve, saidv barrel being closedat one end and a compression spring interposed between said closed endand said valve, means for adjusting the compressional effectsoi thespring, a trigger mounted on said barrel and adapted' to move saidshield. longitudinally of the barrel when a gripping force is applied tothe trigger, a rod connected between said; shield and said valve wherebywhen the trigger is operated the valve is caused to move -against thecompressional effects of said spring to open thepassageway between thehandle and barrel. 4 I

3. 'A hand-operated valve mechanism for vclontrolling liquid passingthrough the barrel of a spray gun, said mechanism comprising ,a shieldpartially surrounding the barrel and adapted to move with respectthereto, a hollow handle secured to said barrel, said shield havingsides which lie adjacen'tgto said handle, said handle providing apassageway which' communicates with the interior of said barrel,'saidpassagewaybeing normally closed by a valve, said barrel being closed atone end by an adjustable cap mem- I ber which contains a compressionspring engaging said valve, a trigger-mounted on said barrel and adaptedto move said shield longitudinally of the barrel when a gripping'forceis applied to the trigger, said shield being connected to said valve inorder to open the passageway between the handle and the barrel when thetrigvgun from the standpoint of spraying plants, etc.,

ger is operated against the compressional effects of said spring, saidadjustable cap member being adapted to control the force necessary to beapplied to said triggerin order to operate the valve.

4. A hand-operated valve'mechanism for controlling liquid passingthrough the barrel of a spray gun, said mechanism comprising a shieldsurrounding the barrel and adapted to move with respect thereto, saidshield having a pair of slots at each end thereoi!r a hollow handlesecured to said barrel and providing a passageway which communicateswith the interior of the barrel, said passageway being normally closedby a valve, said barrel being closed at one end by a cap member whichcontains a spring for forcing ther valve into said (closed position, atrigger pivotally mounted on said barrel and provided with pins whichextend into a pair of slots of said shield whereby thelatter is causedto move longitudinally of the barrel when the trigger is operated, ahousing surrounding said cap member and adapted to move with respectthereto, said 4housing being provided with pins which t into one of thepairs of slots provided in said shield and a connecting rod extendingbetween said housing and said valve through said cap member and springwhereby as the trigger is operated about its pivot the shield is movedwith respect t the barrel, causing said housing also to move and tocarry with it the connecting rod and valve in order to open thepassageway between the handle and barrel.

5. A hand-operated valve mechanism for controlling liquid passingthrough the barrel of a spray gun, said mechanism comprising a shieldsurrounding the barrel and adapted to move with respect thereto, saidshield having a pair of slots at each end thereof, a hollow handlesecured to said barrel and providing a passageway which communicateswith the interior of the barrel, said passageway being normally closedby a valve, said barrel being closed at one end by a cap member whichcontains a spring for forcing the valve 'into said closed position, atrigger pivotally mounted on said barrel and provided with pins whichextend into a pair of slots of said shield whereby the latter is causedto move longitudinally of the barrel when the trigger is operated, ahousing surrounding said cap member and adapted -to move with respectthereto, said housing being provided with pins which fit into one of thepairs of slots provided in said shield and a connecting rod extendingbetween said housing and said Ivalve through said cap member and springwhereby as the trigger is operated about its pivot the shield is movedwith respect to the barrel, causing said housing 4 also to move and to`carry with it the connecting rocl and valve in order to open thepassageway between the handle and barrel, said cap member beingadjustably secured to said barrel in order .to control the compressionaleffects of the spring and said connecting rod being adjustably securedto said housing in order to control the position of the trigger withrespect to the handle.

WARREN M. SPRENG.

